Jenny Stein - Church Visit #2

Church name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 Southwest St. Wheaton, IL

Date attended: 10/12/14

Church category: Different Liturgical Church

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

This service was at 10:30 AM on a Sunday. I felt like the Catholic Mass setting was quite different than the usual service at my church. It had a much larger gathering of people than the one we usually have at my home church. It had similar elements to my normal church, with a similar layout including the sermon. However, the focus of much of the service appeared to be different, because being a Catholic church, it focused more on things like Mary and the Rosary. These were quite different from my regular church. The inside of the church was also much larger and more decorative.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I felt that much of the worship service involved the members of the church more than my regular church does normally. It also appeared to be a bit more organized for the service. One thing that was really interesting to me about this church (and the Catholic tradition) is that there were many services offered at different times for a Mass gathering. There were around five or six different times each day when Mass was held, compared to the two or three times my church has on Sunday. They even have weekday Mass. I think it was interesting how the service focused on Mary a lot more than I have heard before. The service overall was very appealing to me because it was much more formal than my own church.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Even though I liked the formal setup and organized layout of the entire Mass service, I felt a little disoriented by how strict the schedule seemed to be. At my own church, there are often changes in the schedule during the worship service in order to accommodate adding new prayer requests or other things. At this Mass, everything had been laid out perfectly for the service, and nothing was changed. It felt very strict compared to what I was used to. Since I am not familiar with Catholic tradition very much, I also felt a bit disoriented by some of what the father was saying.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

I believe that the unity of the church (and the unity of Christ's body here on earth) are represented quite clearly in a Mass from this Catholic church. It is very important that the gathering of people respect the Lord and come together to worship and revere Him. I think this illuminates Scripture and theology for me because we often do not act unified as Christ's body, like he wants us to. I believe the Mass gathering shows that people should come together and be unified to worship the Lord. As Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-13, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ".

Cyanea Poon - Church Visit #3

Church name: St. Peter’s in the Loop

Church address: 110 W. Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60602

Date attended: 30 October 2014 (7:15am!)

Church category: significantly more liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The worship service is a morning mass that starts at 7:15am. It is different in a sense that it is held early in the morning on a weekday, of which my regular church does not provide. The church has a lot of internal decorations, especially with a lot of paintings and marble statues. There is a lot of liturgies done in the church, such as the blessing yourself with holy water as you enter and exit the sanctuary, kneeling before the cross (with Jesus on it) as you enter and exit your seat, having the service in accordance to a liturgical structure with call and response, as well as greeting each other with ‘peace’. However, some aspects, such as prayer, time of worship, giving glory to God, and communion remains the same.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I think the most appealing aspect about the worship service is that everyone comes into sanctuary at such an early time of the day, and that everyone is focused on the Lord. I enter the sanctuary at around 6:50am, and there are already around 40 people praying silently there. It amazes me how many people are at the service, by 7:15am and following, the amount of people doubles (around 80). Seeing many people coming before the Lord by choice at such an early part of the day really struck me, especially on the necessity to choose to come to the Lord constantly. I also find kneeling to pray as very interesting and appealing, because I see the reverence to the Lord when we come forth in prayers.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

The most disorienting thing about the worship service the liturgical call and response. Being not provided with what I should say, and the father is not very loud, I felt very lost in the whole process, and it seems that I am merely following through everything that everyone else is doing. The whole worship process becomes an imitation of others instead of focusing on the Lord and giving praise to Him. Another disorienting thing is the fact that I observed a lot of people touching the statues (mostly Mary), maybe for prayer or for blessing. I understand that it is a very tangible way to demonstrate one’s prayer, but I am unsure about praying to Mary, as well as perceiving the performing element of the action.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

I think the holiness of God is illuminated to me during this worship service more clearly than my regular context. Although I remain uncertain about the performing elements of kneeling before the statues and blessing yourself with holy water, I recognize that these liturgical actions signified the reverence to the Lord, the Trinity. So many times in evangelical churches, we focus a lot on embracing God’s love and grace, but we sort of forgot about the importance of revering and fearing the holiness of God, which is actually a major part of God’s revelation to us. No matter it is in the Old Testament where the tabernacle is to be kept holy because it is God’s dwelling place, or in 1 Peter 1:16 that commands us to ‘be holy because God is holy’. 

Allison Freet- Church Visit #3

Church Name: Brooklyn Tabernacle

Church address: 17 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Date attended: October 20

Church category: very racially diverse

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

I have never experienced a church service as beautiful and diverse as the one I attended in New York City with my mom over fall break. Situated in the middle of Brooklyn and in what looked like a beautifully restored theatre, the church is categorized as non-denominational and interracial. Walking into the building was an experience in itself; high ceilings and beautiful paintings on the wall depicting significant events in African-American church history welcomed visitors to the church. The sanctuary itself was incredibly gorgeous, and as my mom and I found a seat in the front, many greeted us. The large gospel choir led us in an hour of praise and worship, and the energy in the place was contagious. People were dancing, singing, and almost everyone had their hands raised in worship. The congregation was a mixture of people, but the majority of people were of African-American heritage, a refreshing change from my regular context.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

The black church sure knows how to worship. Hands were raised high from the very beginning, and as the choir belted out song after song, I found myself wishing I could experience something like this every week. The music was powerful, but perhaps the response to the music was what struck me as most interesting. How incredibly refreshing it was to witness unashamed worship. As we sang “your presence is heaven to me,” I was acutely aware of the Lord’s presence in this place. I heard many say “Thank you, Jesus” and “hallelujah”, and I found it interesting that to these people, worship was a vocal declaration of the joy in their hearts. So often, worship in my regular context is an individualistic experience, but here, at Brooklyn Tabernacle, the worship was communal. At one moment, I was struck by the thought that this is what heaven might be like—a mass of people dancing and singing for the rest of eternity. Chills, I tell you. Chills.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Interestingly, what I found most disorienting about the worship service was also what I found most appealing: the hour of worship. In my regular context, I can expect the same format each week. But here, I was completely taken aback by the way that worship was conducted. Everyone was quite vocal in their praises to the Lord, often and loudly thanking Jesus for the blessings in their life. Even the pastors encouraged this behavior, asking us to raise our hands in thanksgiving and encouraging us to tell God how good He is. This was uncomfortable to me, as I am not used to calling out loud to the Lord like that or raising my hands in prayer. It felt awkward and forced for me, and during these times, I mostly stood there with my head bowed and thanked the Lord silently, while listening to the prayers of those around me. Though definitely challenging, this was an aspect of worship that I would like to participate in more frequently. How freeing it eventually was to participate in these visible, communal acts of worship, despite the initial awkwardness I felt.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly as in your regular context?

You know that when the pastor has no qualms about calling out a crying child not once, not twice, but three times during the middle of the sermon, he is going to tell it to you straight. And that is exactly what Pastor Jim Cymbala did in his message—he surely brought the truth. Entitled “Waiting in the Storm,” the message highlighted three things we must do when life gets tough: we must maintain joy, we must be careful, and we must share Jesus. Pastor Cymbala’s enthusiasm for the Word and for the message he was bringing to his congregation was evident, and I appreciated the fact that he did not sugarcoat anything: he simply told it as it was. At the end of his message, the pastor invited those who needed strength to continue fighting and withstanding the storm to come to the front. Immediately, hundreds of people made their way down to the front of the sanctuary and began to lay hands on one another. Though they were weak, they found strength in community, in the words that had been spoken, and in their Maker. How inspiring it was to see people come to front and gather around each other in quiet prayer, seeking the Lord’s guidance and love in their time of trouble. I was reminded of the beauty and the diversity of the Kingdom of God during my time at Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the power and presence of the Spirit was very evident to me. What a beautiful way to spend a Sunday morning in New York City!

Allison Freet- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Armitage Baptist Church

Church address: 2451 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago

Date attended: October 12

Church category: lower socioeconomic community

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

Located in the middle of a lower-income neighborhood in Chicago, Armitage Baptist was not like a church I had ever attended. Walking into the building, I noticed a variety of people gathering in the sanctuary. There were people of all races and walks of life, some physically handicapped and some elderly. The service started out with a few contemporary songs, which is similar to my regular context. After worship, the pastor came up to the pulpit and shared announcements, many of which had to do with how the congregation could serve the community in which they lived. The number of community-focused events the church was sponsoring or becoming involved in amazed me, especially since many in the congregation were in need of the very things they were giving away. The sermon was interesting to say the least, but it seemed to be all over the place. It was a call-and-response type service, something that is unfamiliar to me, with many people shouting “Amen!” Hallelujah!” and even a “Preach it, Pastor!” at one particular truth.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

Perhaps what I noticed most was the way that everyone seemed to treat each other as family. Before and after the service, people were mingling, talking and laughing as they greeted and welcomed one another to church. We had arrived to the church 15 minutes before it started, and we walked in just in time to witness a “church-wide Bible drill” in which someone at the front would call out a verse reference and the first person to find and read the verse correctly would receive a prize from the front. Everyone seemed really into it, and the competition was fierce, especially among many of the regular attenders. This sense of community and family, as well as this obvious tradition of pre-church Bible drill, left a strong impression. Though small and without much adornment, this church was a place where anybody and everybody felt welcome, regardless of socioeconomic status, age or even mental or physical ability. It was encouraging to see such a diverse group of people worshipping the same God.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Most challenging about the worship service was probably the message and the way in which it was preached. Coming from a context where the extent to “call and response” is clapping in support, the constant “amens” and “hallelujahs” were a bit disorienting. Additionally, the pastor was very passionate about what he was preaching, at times raising his voice almost to a yell in order to bring home a point he was making. He addressed so many different topics that it was hard to follow the main line of the message. Also, at one point, he began to call on people to read some passages in other parts of the Bible. This would never happen at my church—there is not a time for interaction between the congregation and the pastor during the message. Yet, during these moments at Armitage, it almost began to feel like a Bible Study instead of a sermon, which was a bit disorienting.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly as in your regular context?

I was most struck by the familial aspect of the church. Perhaps this was due to the size, but so often in white suburbia, people come to church, sit in the back of the auditorium, listen to the message and then slip out afterwards, never saying a word to anyone. I have been one of these people. But, shouldn’t church be a place of community? A place where friends become like family? At Armitage, the moment we walked in, we were ushered to a place near the front, and as soon as the service was over, the woman behind us struck up a conversation with us, asking us where we were from and what we thought of the sermon. Despite the fact that we were obviously newcomers, we were welcomed with open arms. And though the lead singer was a bit off key and the graphics were a bit outdated and perhaps the biggest announcement was about the new elevator recently installed, I was very much aware of how much the people in the congregation love, how much they accept, and how much they want to care for those around them, even when they do not have much for themselves. What a beautiful picture of the family of God!

John Sheehy - Church visit #3

John Sheehy -  Church visit #3

Broadview Missionary Baptist Church

2100 S. 25^th avenue Broadview IL

10-26-14

Different racial or ethnic demographic

Similarities and differences

For my church of a different racial demographic, I chose to attend a predominantly African American service. The service consisted of praise and worship, followed by announcements, the introduction of visitors, bible trivia, an interpretive dance, an altar call, the gospel choir’s performance and a mid-service greeting, where the congregation left their seats to mingle with one another. The whole service was different from my typical Sunday service. The basic similarities were the announcements and worship, although even those were different. The rest was a foreign experience. One of the differences that I found entertaining was the pastor’s summary. During this time, he would say a sentence in an animated fashion, and the organ and drums would punctuate it with a chord. Over a period of a few minutes, the pastor crescendoed into a culminating summary, where the congregation offered him a standing ovation of praise. I found this type of summary to be very different however; I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the church.

Most interesting

The part of the service that I found most appealing was the worship. They had two segments where the praise leaders sang, accompanied by the congregation. During this time, the people sang loudly, while we clapped our hands and swayed our hips. This portion was followed by two songs sang by the choir. The gospel choir was a treat to listen to!

Most challenging

The aspects of the service that I found most difficult and challenging were some of the pastor’s analogies. He used the analogy of Facebook users who simply visit the site, in order to see what their friends are up to, yet rarely post their own content. He compared this to people who visit church yet, cease to participate through service and care. While the simile was creative and not wrong, I found it distracting. This is a general problem that I have had with a lot of different pastors that I have heard recently. They all try so hard to be hip and relevant, with their analogies, that I find them to be a little distracting. I prefer the basic teaching, with analogies through stories, rather than Facebook, social media, and technology.

Illuminated scripture

The pastor gave his sermon on Hebrews 10:19-25, focusing mainly on verse 25, where it talks about persevering in the congregating of the church. Typically this segment of scripture is an opportunity to pastors to discuss the Law and how it relates to our lives today. I have not been a part of a sermon where that latter segment of the verses is highlighted. While I found this truth to be important, I tend to be more comfortable with expositional preaching, where a pastor preaches what the word says, rather than manipulating the word to fit his agenda. It was weird to not have the entire scripture segment reached about.

Lydia Kang- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Armitage Baptist Church
Church Address: 2451 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago
Date attended: October 5, 2014
Church Category: Different ethnicity

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
Armitage Baptist is a very diverse church. I saw Hispanic, Black, Asian, and White people in the congregation, and the leaders on stage (worship, pastors, prayer ministers, announcement leaders) were all ethnically diverse. Definitely different from my all Korean worship context and environment. The structure of service was pretty similar to my own though. There were people at the door who stood and welcomed us in as we entered and handed us the programs. They had a whole praise band with several instruments, the congregation stood up and clapped hands and shouted praises while worshiping. Something that was clearly different was the freedom and liveliness in the style of worship. You could see people who were obviously a little more reserved than others and who just preferred to stay standing and clapping in their pews, but there were others who came out of their pews and formed a praise chain around the chapel.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
The praise portion of the service was really exciting. The worship team leader was an Asian woman. She led songs in Korean, Spanish, and an African Dialect, and the congregation was really willing and excited to follow along with the different style of worship. Singing in Korean and switching off to Spanish and other languages was a special experience. We began a song by singing it in English, and then the leader led us to sing in Korean, then Chinese, then Spanish, then an African dialect. Switching off to other languages after singing in Korean made me really realize the power of language and how special it is to be able to sing in your own language. It's sad to admit that I don't think I would have had the same response if they hadn't sung in Korean during service because I wouldn't have experienced the same excitement that I did. Singing in different languages during a regular worship service in my regular context would definitely be very unusual and unheard of. There wouldn't be a "need" to because my congregation is mainly Korean and Korean American. 

What did you find most disorienting of challenging about the worship service?
The "Bible Drill" was a little weird for me. During the Bible Drill, the congregation raced to see who could find a scripture faster. I felt like it was a waste of time and it kind of killed it for me personally to have a great time of worship and then to kind of play what seemed like to be a youth group-ish kind of game in an adult congregation. I also didn't understand the excitement behind finding a verse before someone else and then having a time of discussion over who found it first and celebrating that. I did, however, understand that this could be a unifying, interactive part of the service. It seemed enjoyable for people in the congregation to interact and be lively with one another.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
The overall understanding I took away from my experience at Armitage was that my discomfort in this new worship environment was a step closer to the great kingdom of God and a step away from worshiping in contexts that I chose to engage myself in on the basis of mere comfort. I subconsciously avoid multicultural worship settings and search for them for the same reasons-- they're different. I am very aware of how blinded and myopic I can be by engaging with people who are like me, who think in the same way, who have the same sense of humor, who have the same "Christianese" as I do in my Korean-American worship context. This illuminated my need to choose to engage in conversation and brotherhood with Christians who come from different cultural backgrounds from my own.

Lauren Drobyski - Church Visit #2

Church name: Armitage Baptist
Church address: 2451 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago
Date attended: October 12
Church category: Different racial demographic, farther from Wheaton

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The worship at Armitage Baptist was actually quite similar to the church I regularly attend. The worship team was up on stage in front of the congregation. There were a few individuals playing instruments and a few singing. The music was contemporary and we sang a few songs before the pastor came up to give the sermon. I would say the main difference I noticed was how involved everyone seemed to be in the worship. It seemed to be more of a community event then just simply individuals worshiping on their own. I also felt that it was more heartfelt. Everyone I saw was singing as loud as they could whether or not they had a beautiful voice or were completely tone deaf. The service began with a "Bible drill," proceeded into worship, and then ended with a sermon.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

When I first arrived at the church, I was warmly greeted by a few individuals standing outside the auditorium and throughout the service the members of the church seemed to be genuinely glad we were there. Even after the service had ended, a few women came up and asked if it was my first time there. They continued small talk with me for a few minutes before I left. I felt a sense of community and felt welcomed from when I first entered to when I left. 

Before the sermon began, the lead pastor took some time to give community announcements. This happens in my church as well, but they are usually announcements about a certain Bible study or potluck dinner that is being held. These types we mentioned here too, but so were other things such as an upcoming meeting for affordable housing in the area. The pastor mentioned that if they themselves aren't in need of housing, they most certainly know someone who is. He emphasized the importance of attending this meeting and making their presence and voice both known and heard. I really appreciated his encouraging of the community to get involved in issues that are relevant not only to them but also to those they know. It was a very real way to see encouragement to live out the Christian faith in action; being active in their community and speaking up for those who might not be able to. 


What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

This "Bible drill" that the congregation had was something I had never experienced before. Before the service began, a worship leader had everyone take out their Bibles and everyone participated in a "race" to see who could find certain passages first. The first person to locate a passage stood up and read it to the congregation. Although this was quite strange for me, I thought it was a testament to the importance of Scripture and to knowing God's Word should be in our lives. They took about 15 minutes to do this and it was a unique way to read Scripture together as a congregation before the sermon began. It was a bit disorienting as I'm not used to audience participation during church. This didn't just apply to the drill but also to the sermon. The pastor would call out people and refer to them or ask them questions while he was speaking. It was very interactive in a way that was unfamiliar to me.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly as in your regular context?

The sermon was presented in a different way then what I'm used to. Instead of a topical sermon, the pastor walked through just three verses.  I actually really enjoyed this type of preaching. It gave a new perspective to Scripture, taking so long to focus on just one verse. He gave a lot of background on where the book was written and in what circumstances it occurred. Having that background knowledge really helped prepare me to better understand what was being said in Scripture. He also focused a lot on suffering, especially of God's people and bookended that with the hope we have in the salvation of Jesus. The pastor asked the congregation if they had been wronged by anyone, whether it was a friend, family member, or organizations such as the government. Almost everyone in the congregation replied with a resounding yes. He then went on to talk about the appropriate way to respond to adversity and that we don't need to be afraid to suffer for Christ. It was a sermon topic that I had heard in different contexts but never something I had heard preached during church.